Internal combustion rotary motor



March 14-, 1933. E. A. WHITE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ROTARY MOTOR Filed May21, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l gwuentoz E. 41. Win26.

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March M, 1933. E. A. WHITE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ROTARY MOTOR Filed May21, 1931 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Patented 14, T933 ERNEST A. WHITE, BIHLTON',TEXAS INTERNAL COMBUSTION ROTARY MOTOR Application filed Hay 21,\181.Serial No. 589,046.

This invention relates to an internal combustion motor of the rotarytype and it generally aims to provide a novel and improved constructionwhich will run with minimum vibration with all rotating parts constantlymoving in the same direction and which develops a maximum power withminimum weight.

A further object is to provide a novel con- 0 struction which willenable the use of ordinary motor fuel and even the cheaper gradeswithout the operation being hampered by the accumulation of carbon, aconstruction which will operate without knocking or jerk- 5 ing due togradual application of the force developed against the vanes. e

A further object is to provide a novel construction which will beautomatically-lubricated, may be easily air cooled and in O which theparts will run without undue binding or friction.

Various additional objects and advantages will become apparent from aconsideration of the description following taken in connection withaccompanying drawings illustrating an operative embodiment and whereinFigure 1 is a view of the improved motor in vertical section takensubstantially centrally and transverse to the main shaft,

0 Figure 2 is a substantially central vertical sectional view taken at aright angle to Figure 1, 4

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,and

Figure 4: is a detail section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring specifically to the drawings, a suitable stator casing isprovided at which K may be welded or otherwise secured to a supportingbase 11. Such base 11 may have legs 12 welded thereto which supportbearings 13 for a main shaft 14 of the motor.

The rotor is shown at 15 and is carried by m the shaft 14.. Such rotor15 is wider than the stator and the rotor peripherally has inwardlyextending portions 16 arranged in hermetic or sealing contact with sidewalls 17 of the stator. The main peripheral wall m 18 of the rotor islocated between the walls 17 and is engaged by sealing rings 19 whichoverlap the same, and are urged outwardly into sealing enga ement withthe inner surfaces of walls 17 y suitable spring elements 20. Thesprings 20 consist of strips of spring steel bowed into substantialU-shapes in cross section, and intermediate of their edges, as shown at20, and secured to inwardly extending portions 16 and thesealing rings19, said U-shaped portions bridging the inner edges of the walls 17 20designating the securing members for said strips. The bowed portions 20are stressed to hold rings 19 in sealing engagement with walls 17 asshown in Figure 2.

The stator 10 is of irregular shape so as to provide a compressionchamber at 21 and a combustion chamber at 22, such chamberscommunicating by way of a restricted space or passage 23, and beingdivided by a partition 24. The stator has a fuel inlet passageway 25 onone side of the partition 24 and an exhaust passageway 26 on the otherside of such partition 24. Passageway 25 communicates with a carburetoror source of fuel supply. A spark plug 27 is secured in the rotor wallin order to fire the compressed charge, being arranged in an ignitioncircuit including conductor 27 and controlled in any suitable manner.

Any suitable number of pistons are employed at 28, each consisting of aplurality of individually slidable vanes 29. The rotor in addition tothe wall 18 has an annular wall 30, and the vanes 29 pass throughopenings as shown, in said walls 18 and 30, being surrounded andintimately engaged by metallic bars 31 urged into contact with the vanesby expansive springs 32.

The vanes 29 are urged outwardly into wiping contact with the marginalwall of the stator by means of individual expansive springs 33 abuttingthe same and also abutting the shaft 14. The wall 30 forms a lubricantchamber and it will be realized that sufiicient lubricant is fed to theworking parts, by its flow along the vanes 29. Undue flow or escape oflubricant is prevented by reason of the bars 31 and springs 32 althoughany other suitable form of packing means may be substituted if desired.

In order to move the vanes 29 inwardly to their maximum extent fordischarge of spent gases and passage of the vanes ast the partition 24,one or more cam mem rs 34 5 may be provided adjacent the partition 2%,being sultably fastened to the stator. Lubricant may be supplied to therotor through a port normally closed by a plug or equivalent 36.

In the operation of the motor, the fuel enters at 25, and is compressedand moves forwardly by one group of vanes 29, bein held between thatgroup and thegroup in a Vance thereof. Accordingly the charge moves fromthe chamber 21 through the restricted passage 23 after which it is firedby the plug 27, the force moving the vanes forward in the combustionchamber 22 after which the spent gas escapes through the passage 26 inview of the fact that the cams 34 cause the vanes 29 to move inwardly.Since there are three sets of vanes, three charges will be compressedand fired for each revolution of the en t will be realized that thelubrication of the engine is automatic since the inner ends of the vanes29 travel in the lubricant reservoir and sufiicient lubricant flowsoutwardly along the surfaces of such vanes.

Various changes may be resorted to provided they fall within the spiritand scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention 1. A rotary engine having a stator, a rotoroperable therein, said parts providing therebetween a combustion chamberand a compression chamber and a restricted space between them, apartition between said chambers, and exhaust port in communication withthe combustion chamber, a series of pistons carried by the rotor andmovable radially thereof through contact with the stator wall, firingmeans for the combustion chamber, means to cause retraction of the vanesto enable exhaust of spent gases, said rotor having inner and outerperipheral walls, the inner wall enclosing an oil reservoir, wallsconnecting the inner. and outer peripheral walls and forming chambersabout the pistons, and packing means arranged in said chambers about thevanes to prevent undue escape of lubricant, and expansive spring meansin said chambers abutting the walls therein and abutting said packingmeans.

2. A rotary engine having a stator, a rotor operable therein, said partsproviding therebetween a combustion chamber and a compression chamberand a restricted space between them, a partition between said chambers,an exhaust port in communication with the combustion chamber, a seriesof pistons carried by the rotor and movable radially thereof throughcontact with the stator wall, firing means for the combustion chamber,means to cause retraction of the vanes to enable exhaust of spent gases,said rotor having inner and outer peripheral walls, the inner wallenclosing an oil reservoir, walls connecting the inner and outerperipheral walls and forming chambers about the pistons, acking meansarranged in said chambers a out the vanes to prevent undue escape oflubricant, and expansive spring means in said chambers abutting thewalls therein and abutting said packing means, said packing meanscomprising metallic bars engaging the vanes.

3. A rotary engine having astator, a rotor operable therein, said partsroviding therebetween a combustion cham r and a compression chamber anda restricted space between said chambers, a series of pistons carried bythe rotor and movable radially thereof through contact with the statorwall, firing means for the combustion chamber, means to cause retractionof the vanes to enable exhaust of spent gases, said stator havin sidewalls extending inwardly, said rotor eing wider than the stator andhaving inwardly extending portions abutting said side walls, sealingrings on the periphery of the rotor between said side walls, springmeans urging the sealing ring laterally against the inner surfaces ofsaid side walls, said spring means comprising elements substantially ofU- shape in cross section extending across the inner edges of said sidewalls and connected to the inner surfaces of said inwardly extendingportions on one side of such side walls and to the sealing rings on theother side of such side walls.

In testimony whereof I afiix m si nature.

ERNEST A. TE.

